Off Beat Sports

The past two weekends have been filled with shooting some off-beat sports for me. One weekend was piles of pro skateboarders at XGames 16 in L.A. which was a blast. Easy access, good free food and ok shooting locations. The parking was a bit much $50 for both days but... The next weekend there was a friendly soccer match between the L.A. Galxay and Real Madrid and 90,000 beer-drenched screaming fans in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (parking $20) then a horse of a different color the next day with Hunter-Jumper horse riding in San Gabriel Canyon. All of which was a blast except for the hours of traffic getting out of the soccer match.
Jamaican-born Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan "Spiderman" Ricketts during the LA Galaxy and Real Madrid match, Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. SGVN/Staff Photo By Eric Reed
Real Madrid's Royston Ricky Drenthe, left top and Galaxy's Juninho try to recover the ball during the LA Galaxy and Real Madrid match.


Monique Bienvenue of Downey jumps a Thoroughbred horse named Dillon on the Cross Rail competition at The Rainbow Canyon Ranch during a Hunter-Jumper style horse show called the Rainbow Summer Classic in San Gabriel Canyon in Azusa, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2010.


Curren Caples Men's Skateboard Park Competition of X Games 16, on the Event Deck of LA Live in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2010.
Taylor Bingaman on the Men's Skateboard Park practice of X Games 16, on the Event Deck of LA Live. Kevin Kowalski watches his fellow skateboarders practice before the Men's Skateboard Park Competition of X Games 16, on the Event Deck of LA Live in Los Angeles, Calif.

Soccer Gallery
Horse Show
XGames

Take My Flag... Take That!

"It is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me," said (WWII Vet, Carl) Harstine, 84, who then corrected himself to say the day he married his wife took the top spot. "This has been a close second."

This is a follow up story that Tribune writer, Dan Tedford and I did on how WWII Vet Carl Harstine of San Dimas had his U.S. Flag stolen off his home two times last month.

We (in the media) and I for that matter have rarely ever seen any reaction to a story. Feedback is rare in a positive way, you are often working in a very social vacuum. It was heartening to see this kind of public outpouring in reaction to a story I helped produce.



More than 100 people came out to give Carl Harstine, a WWII veteran a new U.S. Flag Friday, Aug. 6, 2010, at his San Dimas home. Harstine has his flags stolen - twice - in the last couple months, the event is the communities response. A motorcycle club, city officials and people from La Verne and San Dimas presented Harstine with new flags and poles at the event. SGVN/Staff Photos By Eric Reed

I drove past Carl's house hours later and was reminded of a story relayed by his neighbor, Bob Knoll. He told me how Carl lives alone and when the local sheriff's deputies read that in our initial story one took it upon himself to knock on Carl's door and let him know that he will never be alone and that the officer was also a Marine and knew many in the neighborhood who would do anything for him.

Full Story

More Photos